Guest Post: "Top Tips for Writing in Your Favorite Genre" by Amy Sampson-Cutler
- Kaecey McCormick
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Greetings, creatives!
If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you know I love exploring how lessons from one form of writing can strengthen another. Today’s guest post does exactly that.
I’m thrilled to welcome Amy Sampson-Cutler, fiction writer and author of To Have and to Hold, to Love and to Kill: An Agreement of Souls whose work spans everything from lyrical flash to longer, suspenseful tales.
Today, Amy shares her best tips on writing for your favorite genre... and why experimenting across genres can make us all more versatile, attentive, and inspired writers.
No matter what your primary form of creation is, Amy’s insights about flash fiction, contests, and finding inspiration in unexpected places offer practical ways to deepen your craft and sustain creative momentum.
After you read the post, share your favorite tips in the comments!
~Kaecey
Tips on Writing for Your Favorite Genre
1) Put words on paper and see what sticks
I honestly don’t think I can get through the day without having a story idea. Not all of them are good or go anywhere, of course, but they tend to pop out of nowhere and take up space in my head.
Many float around and out and are gone before I get home from the grocery store. Others might linger for a day or two before departing, and some make it to paper, even if only a brief synopsis and a few notes.
It is those stories that have a chance of coming to life, because if they do not get written down, it’s like they never existed at all. Once something is down on paper (or a sticky note, or some toilet paper), the idea usually marinates a while before I revisit it and determine if it’s something I want to run with. Many of my short stories started with a tiny idea that I wrote down and dug up a while later.
"Once something is down on paper...the idea usually marinates a while before I revisit it and determine if it’s something I want to run with."
2) Write a lot of flash fiction
I love flash fiction. I love reading it, and I love writing it. There are three types of flash fiction: Microfiction, which is less than 100 words, flash fiction, which is 100-1000 words, and the short story, which is over 1,000 words yet not quite a novella.
My favorites are microfiction and regular flash fiction. These forms force you to be concise, to pick every single word with extreme carefulness.
They also allow the writer to center on conflict without worrying too much about world building or backstory, while still using a complete narrative with character, conflict and resolution. The impact of microfiction is compelling, and the lessons I’ve learned while writing this form of fiction are many.
"These forms force you to be concise, to pick every single word with extreme carefulness. "
3) Enter contests
Along the same line as microfiction, writing contests are a fantastic way to build strong writing bones. I have entered contests that are exactly 500 words, no more and no less. I have entered contests for rhyming short stories (these are my specialty).
One of my favorite contests to enter is the NYC Midnight challenges, which give writers three prompts, such as genre, action, and object, as well as a word and time limit.
Another favorite is WOW! Women on Writing, who host contests for both flash fiction and creative nonfiction, and they have an option that writers receive critique. Entering a contest with guidelines, a word count, and judging have seriously upped my short form writing skills..
"...writing contests are a fantastic way to build strong writing bones."
4) Don't pigeonhole yourself!
Just because you wrote some stories in one genre, or maybe you get comfortable saying things like, “I am a horror writer,” or “I am a historical fiction author,” doesn’t mean that you can’t change things up, whenever you feel like it.
Writing in a different genre than what you find comfortable can help you to stretch your limits and your imagination, not to mention giving you an outlet that you may not find in your chosen genre.
"Switching it up can have surprising benefits to any writer who wants to learn."
Switching it up can have surprising benefits to any writer who wants to learn. Writing a thriller can teach you about pacing and building tension, romance is a master class in emotional arcs and chemistry, and literary fiction deepens your connection to the art of writing – as words become a savory experience on their own.
~Amy
About Amy Sampson-Cutler
Amy Sampson-Cutler, author of To Have and to Hold, to Love and to Kill: An Agreement of Souls and A Shadow of Love, is a writer who earned her master's degree in creative writing from Goddard College. Her work can be found in Slut Vomit: An Anthology of Sex Work, Tales to Terrify, WOW! Women on Writing, The Pitkin Review and more.
Amy is the Executive Manager at Mount Peter Ski Area, where she grew up skiing in the winter and dreaming up stories in the summer. Her favorite days are spent knocking around story ideas with her husband.
She lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband, son, and a ridiculous amount of furry family members.
Here's how to connect with Amy online:
About the Book
In her past life, after causing the death of a little boy, Nikki was so devastated that her soul mate promised to murder her in their next life, to make her pay for what she had done.
With no knowledge of this, Nikki lives for years as an addict, down on her luck, until she is rescued by Ken, who helps her with all aspects of her recovery. With the help of a few new friends and a cat named Destiny, Nikki turns her life around.
What she doesn’t know is that someone out there is destined to kill her, and he is watching, his passion for killing her growing stronger each day.
The question is: Can an agreement made between two souls be broken, and how far will one soul go to keep a promise made in a desperate attempt to save the other?
Ready to dive in? You can purchase a copy of To Have and To Hold, To Love and To Kill on:
You can also add To Have and To Hold, To Love and To Kill to your Goodreads reading list!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on what Amy has to say about writing in your favorite genre! Let me know by sending me a message or an email.
Happy Reading & Happy Writing!
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